The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1) (16 page)

“
We’ll catch up. We’re waiting for Anya to return,” Claire replied curtly as she ignored his outstretched hand.

Garridan stomped off with sour look on his fac
e. Nikoli’s posture relaxed.

“
New admirer?” he asked wryly.

“
Don’t even get me started on that one,” Claire grimaced.

“
I heard something about sheep being purchased to help sway you?” Nikoli teased.

Claire groaned. “
It’ll take a lot more than a few sheep to change my mind about that one. I can’t wait to get away from him! When do we find out how to destroy the Fang, anyways?”

“
Renka will call for us when she’s ready to speak with us later tonight,” Nikoli explained. “She’ll tell us everything then.” Horns sounded throughout the Camp. “Sounds like the feast is about to begin. Are we really waiting for Anya?”

“
Nope, I just didn’t want to go with Garridan.”

“
Well then, My Keeper, won’t you join me?” Nikoli held out his hand to her as Garridan had done. This time Claire took it.

Chapter 22

The feast was held in the center of the
Camp. A huge pyre had been lit. It seemed everyone in Camp had turned out to celebrate the guests’ arrival. Tables laden with cooking pots of all sizes were lined up on one side of the fire. Nikoli led Claire by the hand to the tables and handed her a plate and bowl.

“Eat up,” he instructed. “
We’ve got a long day or two ahead of us, you’ll need your strength.” He took a plate and bowl for himself as well. They moved on down the table picking and choosing bits of this and that. Claire’s stomach rumbled. She couldn’t identify half of what was in the pots but everything smelled so good.

“
Not sucking blood tonight, dead one?” Garridan asked. He stood at the end of the line of tables as they made their way to the end of the food line. His folded his arms across his chest as he looked at Nikoli with unconcealed hatred.

“
I actually eat real food,” Nikoli replied coolly, holding his plate up for Garridan to see. “Your blood is safe from me. Can’t wait to bunk with you tonight, roomie,” he added sarcastically.

“Come on, Nikoli.”
Claire shot Garridan a piercing look. “Let’s go eat over there.” She led Nikoli to the other side of the circle.

“That guy is such a jerk,” s
he commented as they settled onto a log to sit. “How are you going to stay with him tonight? What if he, I don’t know, tries to stake you in your sleep,” she asked worriedly.

“
He wouldn’t dare- Renka wants me here and I’m under her protection. He can’t harm me without risking getting exiled from the Camp. He can’t hurt me physically so he insults me instead. No matter. He’s just jealous he can’t have you.” He smiled tenderly at Claire. Claire felt a familiar fire light inside her. It went out just as quickly as it had started when she remembered they had to sleep separately that night.

Anya
walked up and stood in front of them. “I did the circle, it is done. The sun will set soon but we are safe. Renka wants to see you both when you are done eating. I will go eat now.” She headed for the food tables.

“
We’d better eat quickly then, we don’t want to keep Renka waiting,” Nikoli pointed out.

“I can’t figure her out,”
Claire said between bites of rabbit stew. “She doesn’t seem to like you but she allows you to be here.”

Nikoli chuckled. “
She doesn’t like me based on principle- I’m a vampire, after all. But she knows you and I are the best shot anyone has to be done with the Fang, and Stavros, once and for all so she tolerates me. I think she sees me as a ‘necessary evil’ for the time being.”

It
was Claire’s turn to chuckle. “You’re my favorite ‘necessary evil’.” She kissed him chastely on the cheek and then got up off the log. “Come on, if you’re done now, we’ll go speak with Renka.”

They walked through the almost empty
Camp hand in hand. Almost everyone seemed to be at the feast. The few people they did pass averted their eyes or gasped out loud.

“
Seems no one here’s a fan of us being together,” Claire said quietly.

“
Claire, you forget where they’re coming from. They’ve spent their lives avoiding and protecting themselves from vampires out here in the forest. I’m their nightmare personified, strolling around the Camp hand in hand with a human woman. They don’t know what to make of it.”

“
They’d feel differently if they knew you,” Claire said sadly as she squeezed Nikoli’s hand.

“
I know you’re probably right, but it is what it is,” Nikoli said with equal sadness as they arrived at Renka’s caravan. “We’re here. Please try not to say too much Claire- let me do the talking.”

Claire huffed as they c
limbed the small caravan steps. Since when did Nikoli expect her to keep her mouth shut? At least she didn’t have to pretend to be persuaded this time like she did back at Fogak.

Renka threw
open the door and ushered them into her caravan. Colorful scarves hung from every available inch of wall space. Like Anya’s caravan the space was tidy. Renka handed them each a cup of tea, leaves and all, and patted a small love seat for them to sit on. She gingerly lowered herself onto a satin lined rocking chair. She said something quickly to Nikoli. He smiled at Renka in return.

“
She says you make a stunning Gypsy, which I agree with wholly,” he explained to Claire. “She also says a beauty like you could do better than a beast like me-she’s probably right but I do not agree with that part at all.” Nikoli’s eyes glinted mischievously.

“
Enough now. Drink your tea and we will speak of what’s to come to destroy the Fang,” Renka commanded in English in her gravelly voice. She waited until Claire and Nikoli both took a sip of her strong tea before she began. “To destroy the Fang there are a few things I need for the spell. The first thing I need is the petals from the Zeita flower. This flower grows in the grove where Circe destroyed the first Fang.” She paused to clear her throat as she studied Claire and Nikoli with keen eyes.

“
Tomorrow you will go to the grove and retrieve this for me. The journey will take you far from here, you will be out overnight. Anya and Garridan will join you.”

Cl
aire almost choked on her tea. “Garridan? No thanks.” Nikoli elbowed her, and Claire remembered too late his warning to stay quiet.

Re
nka waved a bony finger about. “He is the best hunter in our Camp, and you are lucky to have him. No one knows the forest as Anya does and she is quick with the bow. These are our best two woodsmen, they will go with you too. It puts my people in danger to partake in this but it is time Stavros is gone for good.”

“
How will we know the flower?” Nikoli asked.

“
You cannot miss it- it is the only flower that grows there. The name itself means ‘Goddess’ in your language as it was she that planted it there when she buried the remnants of the first Fang. It is the only place in the world where this flower grows.”

“
What else do you need? You said that was the first thing,” Claire prodded. Nikoli gave her a sharp look.

Renk
a shook her head dismissively. “It is of no matter to you right now. When you return from your journey I will have the other ingredients to complete the spell.” Reaching out with one gnarled hand she tipped Claire’s cup up, encouraging her to finish the tea. “You leave after dawn, we will lend you another mount. You go now Nikoli, Claire and I have things to discuss.”

Nikoli hesi
tated briefly.

“
It’s fine, I’ll catch up with you back at the feast,” Claire reassured him quietly. He rose and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. Renka clucked her disapproval.

Once Nikoli was out the door Renka rose slowly and hobbled around as she muttered
to herself in her people’s language. She examined her vast collection of scarves as she picked one up only to drop it and mutter some more. Eventually she came to rest on one of stunning blue and black hues accented with green. She settled back down in her seat with it and pulled out an ancient looking oak cutting board. She laid the scarf out on the board in her lap and motioned for Claire to give her the cup she had used for her tea.

“This,”
Renka gestured to the scarf, “is you. The black hair, the blue eyes, the promise of regrowth and change in the green. I will read your future in the leaves now.” She dumped the contents leftover in Claire’s tea cup onto the scarf and began to pick through them with her bent fingers.

Claire barely managed
not to roll her eyes at Renka. She didn’t believe in reading palms or tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls to tell the future. It was all mumbo-jumbo to her. Despite her skepticism she sat quietly and feigned interest. She didn’t want to seem impolite and it was obviously important to Renka.

“
You have traveled far, lost much…..lost many you loved,” Renka muttered as she studied the leaves. “You have found new love.” Renka paused to throw Claire a disapproving look. “Ah, very interesting. You will have a true love in your life, one who places you above all else. You will feel the same for him.” Renka sucked in a breath sharply as if in disbelief. “The leaves, they are showing me- and they do not lie- they are telling me you and your true love will be bound by blood.” Renka swiftly wadded up the scarf, leaves and all, into a pile. “That is it. I will read no more.” She shook her head as if to clear some unpleasant thought.

Claire thanked her for the reading but inside she was not impressed. Traveled far? Lost much? Found love? That was not a ‘reading’ but facts of her recent history. Of course Renka knew about it. Bound by blood?
Not very original to tell a girl in love with a vampire. Claire felt slightly insulted Renka thought she’d fall for all her ‘fortune telling’ but kept her thoughts to herself.

“I am hungry now,” Renka announced. “
You will bring me to the feast.”

Claire obliged and together they headed back to the feast. Again they ran into a few stragglers from the
Camp that were not presently at the feast but this time Claire got a much different reaction from them. Women waved and called greetings to her, men nodded acknowledgements as they passed. Claire felt a sense of injustice when she realized they treated her differently because she was not with Nikoli.

Once they arriv
ed at the feast Claire helped get food for Renka and sat her down with a group of women. Once she saw Renka was settled in she sought Nikoli. She found him sitting with Anya.

An
ya lit up when she saw Claire. “The music will start soon, there will be dancing- you like the dance?” she asked Claire in her heavy accent.

Claire grinned. Da
ncing in Gypsy dress at a real Gypsy celebration- who would believe it? “Will you dance with me?” she asked Nikoli.

He shook his head and brought he
r hand to his lips for a kiss. “No, lovely, I am afraid I cannot.”

“Why not?”
Claire demanded with her hands on her hips.

“
Because,” Nikoli answered softly, “if I join in the people of the Camp may not want to. They are afraid of me, Claire. I won’t spoil their fun. Or yours,” he added. Claire looked about and realized he was right. It wasn’t just the people they had passed on their way to Renka’s caravan, everyone here gave him a wide berth and went out of their way to avoid contact with Nikoli.

“
Why aren’t you afraid of him?” she asked Anya.

Any
a shrugged. “I was little, very little, I wandered away from Momma in the forest. I was scared, I cried, I thought I never get back to Camp again. Nikoli find me and bring me back, he was very nice. Vampire yes, but bad, no,” she explained as she whittled a new arrow shaft in the firelight.

“
That’s how I knew it was her that shot the arrow above us in the forest. The fletching was the giveaway. The feathers- they were the same rare feathers Anya had clutched in her little hands when I found her. On our way back to Camp she told me all about how those were the best feathers, the only feathers she would ever use for her arrows.”

“
These people,” Claire gestured to the small crowds keeping their distance. “Have they forgotten how you rescued her?”

“No.” Anya shook her head.
“But they still afraid. He is a vampire and walks in light- they think he have very strong magic and stay afraid.” A violin began its soulful slide and tambourines rattled in the night. Anya put down her arrow and gestured for Claire. “Come, we go dance now.”

Claire looked at Nikoli.

“Go, have fun. I’ll be right here.” He waved her on.

Anya and Claire went over to where a large group of people were gathering. The men were forming a circle facing outward while the women picked a partner and formed a larger circle fac
ing back towards the men.

“
It is a group dance, you watch first then come join when you want,” Anya called over her shoulder as she stepped into line. Claire backed away and stood near the musicians. She loved the sad sound of the violin. The music began slowly and then took off at an alarming pace. Note after note flew into the air chased by the rattle of the tambourines.